Join us on February 12 for back-to-back events focused on making sure you’re ready to take on midterm season. Start by grabbing a slice of pizza and creating a plan for how to get the most out of Reading Week, and stick around for two interactive workshops on organizing your calendar and avoiding burnout. 

Location: SSC Writing and Academic Skills Hub | Mills Library 215 | Meeting Room 
Date: February 12, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

Register now: 

• Pizza and Planning: Grab a slice and make a work plan for Reading Week — 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Command Your Calendar: A workshop to take you from overwhelmed to organized — 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• How to Avoid Burnout — 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

For students registered with Student Accessibility Services (SAS), make sure to check out the Momentum Study Sessions happening February 26, March 19 and April 2 for more opportunities to stay focused and get things done. Register on OSCARplus.

Overcome writer’s block with Writing Fast but Smart 

Dr. Yi Zhu is back, delivering a series of eight workshops to support you through every part of the writing process, from brainstorming a topic to making final edits on your essays and assignments. Drawing on his extensive experience teaching and tutoring undergraduate students, Dr. Zhu will share secrets to writing high-quality academic papers. 

Location: SSC Writing and Academic Skills Hub | Mills Library 215 | Meeting Room 
Dates: Every Friday from February 6 to April 3 (no session during Reading Week), 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

Register now: 

• February 6: Finding a Topic
• February 13: Reading and Taking Effective Notes
• February 27: Writing a Strong Thesis Statement
• March 6: Planning and Structuring Your Essay
• March 13: Writing Natural Transitions
• March 20: Analyzing Evidence or Data Effectively
• March 27: Citing and Quoting Strategically  
• April 3: Polishing and Formatting 

Need a break? Come to Cocoa and Cats: Featuring Theo the therapy cat

Take a break this midterm season and recharge in a calm, welcoming space! Enjoy hot cocoa and good company — including Theo, the therapy cat. Throughout the event, mini academic skills sessions will provide practical strategies to stay focused and organized during midterms. Connect with academic coaches, learn helpful techniques and leave feeling refreshed and motivated.

Location: SSC Writing and Academic Skills Hub | Mills Library 215 | Meeting Room 
Date: February 23, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Register now: Cocoa and Cats

These events have limited capacity. Register today! 

For more support, browse more workshops and register for appointments on OSCARplus. 

Command Your Calendar is about building practical systems and habits that reduce stress and help you feel in control — with help from some tools and resources recommended by our writing and academic skills experts.

Attend if you want to:

• Create a reflective practice to celebrate wins, identify growth areas and set realistic intentions.
• Organize dates and deadlines into a clear, actionable calendar.
• Prioritize competing tasks so you feel confident about where your time goes.
• Manage email clutter and use tools like flags and pins to stay on top of important messages.
• Discover how gen AI tools like Microsoft Copilot can support planning and reflection, making progress a regular occurrence.

Where and when?

Location: SSC Writing and Academic Skills Hub | Mills Library L215 | Meeting Room
Dates: We’re hosting this workshop several times this term. Register for one of the following dates and times that work best for you:

• January 27, 1:30 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
• January 30, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• February 12, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
• February 24, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• March 6, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• March 26, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Procrastination loves to whisper, “later”

But making this small decision now — to attend a workshop built to help you reclaim your time — could be the moment that shifts your whole semester.

This workshop has limited capacity. Register today.

For more support, browse more workshops and register for appointments on OSCARplus.

The Renaissance Award is highly personal. It’s a chance for you to work on a project that matters to you.  

• Lead a 4- to 12-month project of your choosing.
• Receive up to $25K each year, depending on the project budget.
• Students in financial need may build a wage into their budget to help compensate for time spent on the project.
• Individuals and teams of two are welcome to apply.

The Renaissance Award is really meant to promote inquiry and encourage people to do something different than they ever thought they might. This award is for students who want to go outside the box and bring some of the expertise from other specialties into their own area of study. It’s meant to encourage people to get away from a regimented stream and course of events into something that’s a little less planned, a little less obvious to most people, and to encourage exploration. We’d like students today to know that there are actually many pathways.

— Drs. Jolie Ringash and Glen Bandiera, founders of the Renaissance Award

Application support

Our certified experiential learning coordinators can help you explore ideas, set goals and make a plan before you apply. Please email experiential@mcmaster.ca and include “Renaissance Award” in the subject line.

Project support

If selected, you will require a faculty advisor and a student success coach for your project. You will be required to stay in contact with both throughout your project completion.

• Student success coach: If you are selected as a recipient, you will be assigned a student success coach who can help guide you to explore, reflect and act — all essential components of experiential learning. You will stay in touch for project updates, deliverables and any challenges that you might encounter.
• Faculty advisor: You will need to find a faculty advisor for your project. This advisor must be a faculty member from outside your program whose expertise aligns with your project goals. They will help guide your research direction and provide academic support throughout the process.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Renaissance Award, you must:

• Have completed the first year of your program
• Be a current full-time undergraduate, graduate or School of Medicine student
• Have a cumulative GPA of 10 or more
• Want to engage in a 4- to 12- month self-directed enrichment experience outside your chosen program of study

The full eligibility details are also posted on AwardSpring.

Where to apply

You reach for your phone. *TAP* Instagram, a welcome distraction. An ad lands on your FYP: 

“High quality, affordable essays. Quick turnaround. Guaranteed plagiarism-free. 100% satisfaction or your money back. Get a quote NOW!”  

*TAP* 

The company’s website looks professionally designed and their writers all have graduate degrees. A pop-up window appears: 

Need help with an assignment? Our experts are ready to chat with you. 

Is this…cheating? Maybe? No, it definitely has to be. But everyone must cheat at some point, right? How are they all keeping up with this workload? And it’s just anthropology; it’s not like it’s your major. And it’s plagiarism-free. No one will ever know. 

*TAP* 

What is contract cheating?

An evolving “business.” The scenario above describes what is known as “contract cheating“—hiring a third party to complete your academic work—and is in direct violation of McMaster’s Academic Integrity Policy. It also alludes to some of the reasons why students are driven to such violations and the explanations they may give for their actions. 

Contract cheating is often associated or even conflated with the term “essay mill,” which conjures the image of a factory full of wage labourers churning out countless papers day after day. Although essay mills make up a good portion of contract cheating outfits, there are also contract cheating services that are just as happy to complete an entire course for you—attending class for you and taking quizzes, midterms, exams, etc. 

Because contract cheating involves individuals and companies external to McMaster, this category of academic dishonesty has a unique set of risks and consequences. In fact, getting caught might be the least of your worries after hiring what Kristina Nicholls calls “unscrupulous gremlins.” Nicholls and others argue that blackmail and extortion represent new income streams for contract cheating providers, who have no problem threatening to expose students to their home universities unless they pay up. 

Once you’ve provided enough personal information, your academic reputation is completely at the mercy of these companies and websites, which may very well not live up to any of the promises they make about quality or timeliness. Allowing contract cheating employees to attend class or take tests on your behalf typically requires you to share your student login credentials, which is another point of vulnerability and a serious breach of university security policy. 

The bottom line is that once you’ve crossed this ethical threshold, there is no incentive for contract cheating companies to give you anything. Forcing you to buy their silence is simply more cost-effective. 

Just say no? Easier said than done. 

As with any type of academic integrity issue, being honest and doing your own work are surefire ways to stay out of trouble. However, research shows that even when students acknowledge that cheating is unethical, there are factors that may cause them to act against their better judgement. 

In a recent Canadian survey, the top three justifications for academic dishonesty were related to pressures around workload and performance. These reasons are similar to those given by a group of Australian students when asked why they would choose to hire a contract cheating company. Researchers have also identified that international students may be more likely to engage in contract cheating, possibly due to the added stress of maintaining academic standing to meet study permit conditions. 

So, how do you resist the appeal of what might appear, in desperate times, to be a quick and simple solution? 

How we can support you

Seeking out and leveraging the supports available to you at McMaster is the first step toward protecting yourself against the predatory practices of contract cheating companies. The Student Success Centre’s programs and services can help you develop productive habits that will contribute to a strong academic foundation. 

These are a just a few ways the SSC is here to support you from feeling that cheating is the only way to keep up with your work: 

1. Book an appointment on OSCARplus with an Academic Peer Mentor, Academic Coach or Writing Advisor. 
2. Check out our library of Writing and Academic Skills Essentials videos. 
3. For international students, visit the International and Exchange Student Experience office for a drop-in appointment. 

In addition, understand the process for missed academic work (MSAF), and connect with an Academic Advisor if you feel that your course load is unmanageable. Also, the Student Wellness Centre offers professional counselling and a variety of programs that can help you manage stress and improve your overall mental health.

For more information on academic integrity at McMaster, visit the Office of Academic Integrity’s website.

References 

Better Business Bureau. (2024, July 23). BBB scam alert: Cheating on homework leads to extortion scam. Better Business Bureau. https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/24032-bbb-scam-alert-students-hire-homework-help-and-end-up-in-extortion-con 
 
Bretag, T., Harper, R., Burton, M., Ellis, C., Newton, P., Rozenberg, P., Saddiqui, S., & van Haeringen, K. (2018). Contract cheating: a survey of Australian university students. Studies in Higher Education, 44(11), 1837–1856. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1462788 

Chow, H. P. H., Jurdi-Hage, R., & Hage, H. S. (2021). Justifying academic dishonesty: A survey of Canadian university students. International Journal of Academic Research in Education, 7(1), 16-28. https://doi.org/10.17985/ijare.951714  
 
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (2024, September 18). Study permit conditions. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit/while-you-study/study-permit-conditions.html 
 
Nicholls, K. (2021, November 30). Students who cheat don’t just have to worry about getting caught. They risk blackmail and extortion. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/students-who-cheat-dont-just-have-to-worry-about-getting-caught-they-risk-blackmail-and-extortion-172403 

Sutherland-Smith, W., & Dullaghan, K. (2019). You don’t always get what you pay for: User experiences of engaging with contract cheating sites. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(8), 1148–1162. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1576028  

 Yorke, J., Sefcik, L., & Veeran-Colton, T. (2020). Contract cheating and blackmail: a risky business? Studies in Higher Education, 47(1), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1730313 

1. Understand your own capacity. Don’t take on more than you can handle.

There is a saying, “don’t pull more than your own weight,” which urges you to understand your own capacity. Take care of your well-being by figuring out how much work you can reasonably handle. As you begin to figure this out for yourself, try not to compare your capacity to others. Everyone is different. Only you can determine what works best for you. 

2. Create a balance between working and studying. 

The best way for me to balance working and studying is to prepare for the week ahead using a planner. I input all my classes, tutorials and schoolwork into a calendar or agenda. Any space left over, would be dedicated to free time. For instance, if you have an hour or two before class, you can use that time to have lunch. Just ensure all of your tasks are spread across the week. 

3. Prioritize your mental health and well-being.

Sometimes, we can get so consumed by our studies and work that we fail to make time to do other things. Your mental health should be a priority because if not, this will affect your performance and health. Taking care of your mental health can appear differently for everyone. How I choose to take care of my mental health is to sketch or watch a Netflix show. Make sure to include mental health breaks in your daily routine. 

4. Communicate with managers or supervisors if needed.  

For students who are working during their studies, remember you are still a student. If you need time off for whatever reason, make sure you communicate this effectively and in advance. Having a conversation with your managers or supervisors can ensure that they understand your situation and are able to accommodate. 

5. Take advantage of student services  

You can visit the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) if you need any accommodation for a test or assignment. Remember to review the qualifications for an accommodation and complete the necessary documentation beforehand. At the Student Wellness Centre (SWC), you can book one-to-one appointments to speak with a counsellor about your situation as well.   

Having a work life balance does not have to feel unachievable. As long as you create and follow a solid routine, you can find your own balance. I hope these few tips help you during this busy semester.  

Accept your low grade and learn from it

Sometimes you might be compelled to brush off your grade. For myself, I was ashamed and disappointed. But I knew if I wanted to improve, I had to accept my low grade. Try percieving your low grade as a learning opportunity. My advice would be to understand the what and the why. For example, what was incorrect? Why was it incorrect? Then, take time to review the correct answers and feedback from tests or assignments, if they are available to you.

Connect with your Professor or Teaching Assistant (TA)

Office hours are designated times to meet with your professor or TA outside of the classroom. This is a great opportunity to ask them about your grade and any advice on what you can do to improve. Always be respectful and show up with a willingness to learn.

If you cannot make it to office hours, you can email your professor or TA to set an appropriate date and time to meet. When you meet, I highly recommend taking notes on the advice they give and how to do better in future. From there, review your notes and relearn the material. 

Assess your studying or writing habits 

Are your current studying or writing habits working for you? If not, there are ways to improve them. 

1. Reconsider your priorities: Focus less on distractions and put more time into studying or upcoming assignments. Ensure that any type of distraction is as far away from you as possible.
   • My advice, if your phone is a huge distraction, put it on silent mode and lock it in a drawer. If you are sensitive to noise, find a quieter study area. This helps you to focus on the current task. 
2. Make a solid plan to work on studying and assignments in advance: Create an agenda for yourself to outline when and how you can complete your work.
   • For example, choose a specific task you want to complete for the week. Break up the task into smaller tasks. If you choose to work on a research paper, I would divide the task as so: brainstorm ideas > choose topic > research > outline > draft paragraphs > edit. For each specific task now, determine how long it takes to complete each of them. Be realistic with each judgment. From there, allot different dates and times during the week to work on it.  
3. Seek help from trained individuals aside from your TA or professor: There are options available for further support such as writing advisors, academic peer mentors, and academic coaches from the Writing and Academic Skills Hub on the second floor of Mills Library.
   • Book appointments on Oscar Plus under the Student Success Centre tab. You could also find a tutor. I highly recommend checking out the Undergraduate Peer Tutoring Network available for undergraduates in the student success centre. 
4. Use more effective learning strategies: If your current studying and writing habits aren’t working for you, then you should change it up.
   • My advice, try finding or creating study groups or using flashcards for better retention of the course material. I suggest reviewing the Studying and Taking Exams Academic Skills guide from the McMaster LibGuides. There are a lot of studying strategies here for you to use, teaching you to study actively rather than passively. Additionally, for assignments, you can have a friend review your work. These are just some ways that you can make the best out of your learning. 

Believe in yourself! 

Try not to create unrealistic expectations, especially with grades. Understand that these mishaps are a part of learning and remember, you are not alone. Even though there are many students who appear to be smarter than you, there are some who struggle just as much as you do.  

References 

• Chang, S. (2018, November 19). Don’t let lower grades discourage you. Student Services. https://students.ubc.ca/ubclife/dont-let-lower-grades-discourage-you   
• Disappointing grade? Learning Development & Success – Western University. (n.d.). https://learning.uwo.ca/disappointing_grade.html  
• IvyPanda. (2023). How to deal with bad grades in college: Do’s & dont’s. IvyPanda® Blog. https://ivypanda.com/blog/how-to-deal-with-bad-grades-in-college/  
• Jerema, C. (2022, November 15). Your grades will drop: Maclean’s education. Your grades will drop | Maclean’s Education. https://education.macleans.ca/study-tips/your-grades-will-drop/  

When I review the amount of work I need to complete, I feel reluctant. I had to change my perspective and break each task into smaller, easier tasks. This helps me feel at ease and reduces my stress.  

2. Add breaks to your daily routine 

When we’re preoccupied with studying and getting everything done, we might forget to rest or take breaks. Remember to add breaks in between your work periods and after you complete all your tasks. Take a few of minutes to move around and stretch or grab a tea/coffee.

3. Find a mentor to connect with

Find time to research and sign up for mentorship programs through your faculty or through the Student Success Centre, such as Academic Peer Mentoring or the Black Student Mentorship Program. Joining clubs can also inspire you and allow you to find individuals who you can share common goals, experiences and interests with.  

4. Maintain your health

Taking action to maintain your health keeps you alert throughout the day, which is helpful for tasks like completing assignments or concentrating during lectures. Try to get enough sleep, eat healthy foods or exercise to take care of your overall health. 

5. Reward yourself  

At the end of the day or after completing a task, take time to do something you enjoy. Having these rewards visible in your calendar can also motivate you to get started on your schoolwork earlier in the day.  

These are just some of the ways for you to stay motivated throughout the semester. They may not apply to everyone, but it’s important to discover strategies that work for you! 

Check out our LibGuide on Motivation for more information as well: https://libguides.mcmaster.ca/c.php?g=718525&p=5130837  

The first part of asking for help, is to seek someone who can answer your questions. You might be surprised to find the many services available to you at McMaster and staff willing to help you throughout the year. These services range from academic support (e.g., Academic and Writing Skills, Academic Advising (Faculty), etc.) to personal support (e.g., International Student Services, Office of Registrar, etc.).

2. Enhance your knowledge and learning experiences

Asking for help can provide you with a lot of valuable information. This should also allow you to accept new information and revise previous beliefs. Each question can lead to a response that can shift your perspective. You can also learn a new skill or concept, especially the ones you struggled with. Taking the initiative to seek help shows your willingness to learn and grow as a student.  

3. Develop transferrable skills

After seeking support or asking for help, you can reevaluate your skills and apply your knowledge elsewhere. That one appointment with the Writing Centre could improve and enhance your approach to writing in the future. Applying knowledge to future tasks is a part of your learning experience and shows how much you learned. You can also share your information with others and encourage them to seek the same support. 

 4. Build your connections and network

There are times when asking for help may lead you to someone who could direct you to an open position in their department or another opportunity. You could also be directed to an event where you can meet others. For instance, if you are struggling to find a career in your area of study, a career counsellor can recommend visiting a career fair, especially one specific to your faculty or program. This is a chance to network and talk to people who have experience working in a field related to your degree. 

 5. Alleviate stress or worries

I feel a huge wave of relief after someone answers my questions, and I am ready to progress from where I left off. The stress and confusion you feel subsides when you seek support. Having someone there to relieve any worries or doubts you feel is better than enduring it alone. 

The next time you have a question or concern, don’t be afraid to ask for help and search for someone willing to assist you. You never know what the result might be.  

Being a student who always wanted to do well, I placed a lot of pressure on myself. This pressure grew during a calculus class I took in second year. After midterms, my overall academic performance was not great and I was no longer confident in my abilities to improve my grades. This made me anxious and afraid of completing a test. 

My test anxiety stemmed from a fear of failure and incompetency when my performance did not match my expectations. I had to seek support and learn to accept failure, build confidence in my academic abilities and create time to review the content I struggled with.  

Destiny’s strategies

The best strategies that worked for me was consulting someone about my feelings, self-reflection and adding a little positivity throughout the course of my study. Talking with someone, like a friend or professor, allowed me to clarify and relieve any concerns I had before a test. Self-reflection helped me address the source of my emotions. Using a journal, I allowed myself to write freely, channeling any emotions I had.

After about a week, I would return to my journal to reflect on how I felt without judgment. Lastly, I combatted negative thoughts with positive, self-fulfilling thoughts. Instead of saying, “I can’t do this” or “I’m not good enough,” I reminded myself how far I came and the effort I put along the way. This helped me from being self-critical and more compassionate towards myself.  

Fei’s story

When I first came to university, I was terrified of midterms and exams. Despite hearing how difficult university is, I expected to achieve the same grades I had in high school. I soon realized that university is not at all like high school. I remember crying outside of Centro with my friend after our chemistry test, while we shared a piece of cheesecake.

After this, I began to experience more test anxiety. It’s been a challenging journey to cope with test anxiety, but I’ve learned to embrace the idea that it’s okay to encounter setbacks and not excel as I used to. Accepting the possibility of “failure” helped reduce my test anxiety over time.  

Fei’s strategies

When I made the decision to not pursue a career in medicine, I changed my perspective. I no longer put so much value on grades because they don’t represent my true learning and abilities entirely. This career change and perspective had relieved the immense pressure I used to feel.

In addition, practicing deep breathing exercises helped calm my nerves before a test. Before beginning a test, I try to find a quiet space and take 10 minutes to follow a guided meditation or breathing exercise on YouTube. This simple practice has been incredibly beneficial in reducing my test anxiety. 

In conclusion

Test anxiety is a normal experience and with support, it can get better. We hope that our stories show that it is okay to experience test anxiety. You can seek support from friends, professors and other professionals to cope. We all have unique experiences with test taking, and it can be helpful to try a variety of ways to reduce anxiety.

Figuring out what career you want to pursue is difficult, especially when you probably do not know what your interests are or where you fit in the world. When I was a second-year student in the Hons. BASc Human Behaviour program, specializing in Early Childhood and Education, I was planning to become a teacher but I questioned this path. I dealt with my worries and questions by writing in a journal. I wrote about my likes, dislikes, research interests and what I enjoyed learning about. From there, I narrowed it down to specific career paths.

What to research?

I chose to continue my passion for cognitive behaviour therapy and counselling. I searched for information about counselling and what a day in the life of a counsellor looks like. During this time, I stumbled on a YouTube video on counselling psychology. There were counselling psychologists who discussed their job and what counselling psychology means to them. My decision to study counselling psychology grew.  

Now what?

Now that I knew my end goal, I had to determine how to get there. Deep down, I wanted to follow my first-year plan to join the Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour (PNB) program. To finalize my decision, I went to see the PNB academic advisor and learned about the PNB program, and job opportunities after graduation. Since my intentions were to go to graduate school, I joined the PNB program to broaden my options. From there, the PNB advisor told me everything I needed to do to switch my program and the deadlines I had to keep in mind when doing so. 

On the day of program selection, I had one choice to make. When the results were released, I got in! I was very excited to be part of PNB, the following semester. Today, I am in my fifth year of PNB with a thesis to complete. I have no regrets and I am happy with where I am right now.  

Are you having thoughts about wanting to switch your program?

I recommend taking time to research. You may be thinking about how this affects your academic plans and feel worried about extending your degree including financial concerns. I had these same thoughts.

Make use of SSC’s academic skills supports to help achieve your goals and reach out to a faculty academic advisors to learn more about program requirements and the best approach for switching programs. SSC’s careers supports are open to students from all faculties.

Final thoughts and advice

I will leave you with something that the PNB advisor told me, which resonated with me as I made my decision, “once you get on that stage and hold that degree, it wouldn’t matter how long it took you to get there. As long as you tried!”